1. Title, director and release year? ‘The 11th Hour,’ directed by Leila Conners Peterson and Nadia Conners (2007) 2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film? The 11th Hour brings attention to the very limited time in which we have left to implement change and create a sustainable world. Energy usage, waste production, and awareness of environmental impact are just a few of the areas mentioned that need to undergo transitions to create a support system that is sustainable for our living and future. It’s very dedicated to frightening the audience into realizing that we need to take the time to reflect on ourselves and act quickly: “Beyond our stunning intellectual effects, we must see our ecological impacts and develop sustainable living.” 3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Behavioral: - Balance between reliance and protection of the environment; it’s there to support us, so why are we destroying it? - Mankind’s success has been built from the ability to make tools, communication, feelings of greed, and an opportunistic nature; these feelings have dug us into a very deep hole, so how do we dig ourselves out? - Survival strategy; humankind is what threw us out of cycle, but is key to our survival; the power of the human mind allowed us to envision a “future” and what we do today can affect that future Educational: - Connecting isolate events/instances of environmental disaster; stringing them together forms a picture of what we have caused and the crucial need to fix the problems to ensure future generations - Thinking separate from nature is destructive; need to understand that we must work symbiotically with nature to ensure its protection and its protection of us Technological/economic: - After the industrial revolution, nature was (and continues to be) seen as a resource and eternally abundant, leading to what was though to be limitless growth/expansion; recognition that exploitation isn’t infinite is making us adopt a change in consumption and production methods - How we are disrupting the natural process of the environment to support our sustained living and need to realize that we are not only taking the number of resources available for granted, but also their methods that were put in place to keep us thriving 4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? - Mankind has had an overall negative effect on the world, so what must be done to convince us that if we don’t change anything there is no future that’s enticing and feasible for us to expect and prepare for? The Earth will somehow find a way to survive, but humans may not; eventually the world will be a place that we don’t want to live in (and this is not an argument for colonization on other planets/celestial bodies.) - Deepest connection that mankind has with the world: the human body is made of 120 trillion cells, 90% of which are not human (microbial, microorganisms); within us is a historical connection to life billions of years ago, but over this last century we’ve increased our impact and accelerated our disconnection - Ideas around “current sunlight” versus “ancient sunlight:” how exponential growth was possible by use of sunlight alone (the maximum form and amount of energy available) to create food, clothing, etc., but no we’ve adopted “current sunlight” which comes to us in forms of electricity; if we have to revert to sunlight without technology, the world wouldn’t be able to support or sustain the current 6 billion people (would only support ½ billion people) - The parent system is nature (which doesn’t grow), and the subsystem is the economy (built for growth)…growth and sustainability of both will only ensure mutual success, not one over the other - We don’t have a cost estimation of how we could fix nature (clean water, recycle oxygen, etc.), but trees do this naturally without any problems, so why are we denying them of the natural jobs/purpose? Trees are meant to clean water and create oxygen among many other things, in which thousands of other species depend on; the connections between species provides support, and once one of those species is threatened, it throws everything else out of sync, making it more susceptible to failure [species at the top are most vulnerable to extinction because of their heavy dependence on all of those below them] - Planet deterioration is merely a mirror of inner problems 5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? It’s important to know that our actions have consequences, but harping on the guilt trip made it hard to stay engaged in the film; yes, each of the examples provided a complete picture for how mankind has affected all areas of the Earth’s natural cycle, but taking away some of the guilt (and providing examples of feasible solutions on individual levels) would make the film easier to be absorbed. 6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.? - Education and action need to work hand-in-hand if time is such an issue here, making me more interested in seeking out schooling programs that not only education students on the problems, but has them actively seeking solutions and introducing them into their communities; individual initiative is great, but having groups of 25-30 people at a time making changes is influential 7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems? - It best addresses people in the workforce to understand that there is limited time available to find solutions and fix problems, while educationally it burdens students more in pressuring them that they have even less time to find solutions and implement them before the clock runs out in which we need to see change: “Earth will regenerate in time, even if there are no people, because it has all the time in the world…but we don’t.” 8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film? - Links our actions to devastating problems while promoting awareness of the limited time left to make changes, but implementation of sustainable education about problems and solutions is crucial while also adopting solutions simultaneously to beat the clock - Recognizing the forces that are blocking change: corporate economic globalization, greed, dominant institutions, etc. - Increasing taxes on fossil fuels, fining those who pollute, broadening societal mobilization 9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? - Extreme repetition supporting the fact that change needs to happen now; how about introducing ways the audience members could start making changes that day, or start implementing changes into their daily lives and then move on to community efforts, not just large-scale changes? I’m not saying that they aren’t warranted, but give the audience something to work with rather than portraying the big-scale solutions that individuals can’t do themselves.
‘The 11th Hour,’ directed by Leila Conners Peterson and Nadia Conners (2007)
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The 11th Hour brings attention to the very limited time in which we have left to implement change and create a sustainable world. Energy usage, waste production, and awareness of environmental impact are just a few of the areas mentioned that need to undergo transitions to create a support system that is sustainable for our living and future. It’s very dedicated to frightening the audience into realizing that we need to take the time to reflect on ourselves and act quickly: “Beyond our stunning intellectual effects, we must see our ecological impacts and develop sustainable living.”
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Behavioral:
- Balance between reliance and protection of the environment; it’s there to support us, so why are we destroying it?
- Mankind’s success has been built from the ability to make tools, communication, feelings of greed, and an opportunistic nature; these feelings have dug us into a very deep hole, so how do we dig ourselves out?
- Survival strategy; humankind is what threw us out of cycle, but is key to our survival; the power of the human mind allowed us to envision a “future” and what we do today can affect that future
Educational:
- Connecting isolate events/instances of environmental disaster; stringing them together forms a picture of what we have caused and the crucial need to fix the problems to ensure future generations
- Thinking separate from nature is destructive; need to understand that we must work symbiotically with nature to ensure its protection and its protection of us
Technological/economic:
- After the industrial revolution, nature was (and continues to be) seen as a resource and eternally abundant, leading to what was though to be limitless growth/expansion; recognition that exploitation isn’t infinite is making us adopt a change in consumption and production methods
- How we are disrupting the natural process of the environment to support our sustained living and need to realize that we are not only taking the number of resources available for granted, but also their methods that were put in place to keep us thriving
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
- Mankind has had an overall negative effect on the world, so what must be done to convince us that if we don’t change anything there is no future that’s enticing and feasible for us to expect and prepare for? The Earth will somehow find a way to survive, but humans may not; eventually the world will be a place that we don’t want to live in (and this is not an argument for colonization on other planets/celestial bodies.)
- Deepest connection that mankind has with the world: the human body is made of 120 trillion cells, 90% of which are not human (microbial, microorganisms); within us is a historical connection to life billions of years ago, but over this last century we’ve increased our impact and accelerated our disconnection
- Ideas around “current sunlight” versus “ancient sunlight:” how exponential growth was possible by use of sunlight alone (the maximum form and amount of energy available) to create food, clothing, etc., but no we’ve adopted “current sunlight” which comes to us in forms of electricity; if we have to revert to sunlight without technology, the world wouldn’t be able to support or sustain the current 6 billion people (would only support ½ billion people)
- The parent system is nature (which doesn’t grow), and the subsystem is the economy (built for growth)…growth and sustainability of both will only ensure mutual success, not one over the other
- We don’t have a cost estimation of how we could fix nature (clean water, recycle oxygen, etc.), but trees do this naturally without any problems, so why are we denying them of the natural jobs/purpose? Trees are meant to clean water and create oxygen among many other things, in which thousands of other species depend on; the connections between species provides support, and once one of those species is threatened, it throws everything else out of sync, making it more susceptible to failure [species at the top are most vulnerable to extinction because of their heavy dependence on all of those below them]
- Planet deterioration is merely a mirror of inner problems
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
It’s important to know that our actions have consequences, but harping on the guilt trip made it hard to stay engaged in the film; yes, each of the examples provided a complete picture for how mankind has affected all areas of the Earth’s natural cycle, but taking away some of the guilt (and providing examples of feasible solutions on individual levels) would make the film easier to be absorbed.
6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?
- Education and action need to work hand-in-hand if time is such an issue here, making me more interested in seeking out schooling programs that not only education students on the problems, but has them actively seeking solutions and introducing them into their communities; individual initiative is great, but having groups of 25-30 people at a time making changes is influential
7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?
- It best addresses people in the workforce to understand that there is limited time available to find solutions and fix problems, while educationally it burdens students more in pressuring them that they have even less time to find solutions and implement them before the clock runs out in which we need to see change: “Earth will regenerate in time, even if there are no people, because it has all the time in the world…but we don’t.”
8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?
- Links our actions to devastating problems while promoting awareness of the limited time left to make changes, but implementation of sustainable education about problems and solutions is crucial while also adopting solutions simultaneously to beat the clock
- Recognizing the forces that are blocking change: corporate economic globalization, greed, dominant institutions, etc.
- Increasing taxes on fossil fuels, fining those who pollute, broadening societal mobilization
9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
- Extreme repetition supporting the fact that change needs to happen now; how about introducing ways the audience members could start making changes that day, or start implementing changes into their daily lives and then move on to community efforts, not just large-scale changes? I’m not saying that they aren’t warranted, but give the audience something to work with rather than portraying the big-scale solutions that individuals can’t do themselves.